Hu, Obama to discuss trade, N.Korea

• Source: Global Times
• [07:50 September 21 2009]
• Comments

Beijing says Washington's move violated WTO rules, warning that it will damage trade relations, but the US has denied that the tariffs are an act of protectionism.

The pair is also likely to discuss North Korea, whose leader reportedly told a Chinese envoy Friday that the country was willing to engage in bilateral and multilateral talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program.

This is the second meeting between the top leaders of the world superpowers. Hu and Obama met for the first time during the London G20 Summit on April 1.

After Hu, Obama will meet his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev Wednesday, looking to build on the positive response that greeted his revamped plans for missile defense in Europe.

Russia had condemned the proposed installation of an anti-missile radar system in the Czech Republic and missile interceptors in Poland – a plan drawn up by Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush.

Obama announced Thursday that he would replace the shield with a more mobile system initially, using mainly sea-based interceptors to target short- and medium-range missiles, after a reassessment of intelligence determined that they presented a more imminent threat from Iran.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed Saturday that it had scrapped plans to site missiles on the European Union's border after Obama's announcement.

Also Wednesday, Obama is expected to meet with new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, two weeks after he ended more than half a century of almost unbroken rule by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party.

Leaders of Hatoyama's center-left Democratic Party of Japan have already signaled they want a "more equal"relationship with the US.

Obama will be the first US president to chair the Security Council, whose rotating presidency happens to be in the US' hands this month during the annual meeting of the General Assembly.

AFP contributed to this story